LOCAL HISTORY AND CULTURE – SET A

Barangay. Originally meant the Malay sailboat ("balanghai") which brought the early migrants to these
islands. It was a group of families, with the kinsmen and their leader.
Formation of Barangay Groups. Two millenia ago, this upland realm was composed of hardly a
hundred farms, each one of them being a completely self-sufficient little world, responsible only to itself
for staying alive. Within their little world, they converted their products into food that could be eaten,
clothes that could be worn and habitation that could be lived in. All activities were administered by the
head of the family.
As the family membership began to increase in number and the raids by the Aetas became more
disturbing, the dwellers came to realize the need for group-living. Hence, they started building their
houses along the riverbanks and the lakesides. While those living in the highlands formed nuclear types of
clustering houses. They came to realize that by living in groups, they were multiply their strength, to pool
together their past experiences, to present a united front against common perils, and to plan the future
more effectively among themselves.The settlers' initial grouping, composed typically of about 30
families, came to be known as the "barangay."

THE BARRIO AS A SPANISH COLONY

The Priest as Vanguard of a New Civilization

As the sole representative of the Cross and the Spanish Crown in the new parish, Fray Mendoza
increasingly trained the natives of San Pablo to follow his lead. He declared that he would make other
changes. He began to call their barangay a “barrio”. His pronouncements, much to his pleasant surprise,
were received with laughing applause and shouting felicitations. Perhaps the natives were delighted with
his attempts to speak in their language. He also pleased them in other ways.

Cabeza de Barangay and the Tribute

Now it was the time for the first act of a new colonial authority to establish representation and to
require taxation. Fray Mendoza declared that the barrio chief would be called by new title, “Cabeza,”
(Spanish for “head”), instead of “Gat.”

As for the tribute, it was explained to the natives that this was nothing more than an additional
collection to what the chieftains were already used to collecting for their share of farm and animal
products and debt service. Now, it was time for them to collect a new tribute for the iglesia (church) and
the Spanish Crown.

With the barrio chiefs (cabesas) as tax collectors, the priest was assured of an easy collection. The
new colonial tribute was acceptable to them because they were exempted and did not pay any tribute at
all. The cabesas was too happy to collect more taxes (in which they would share) and indeed flattered
because it added to their power.
Land Distribution

Another reason for the acceptance of the new tribute was the new colonial policy on land and
slaves, which enlarged the economic pie for all. Fray Mendoza announced a new land policy in the
colony. The Royal Decree of April 6, 1588 provided for the appointment of land in favor of landless
individuals to turn them into small landowners. These lands were generally the agricultural farms situated
in the lowlands leaving the mountains and dense forest of little use or interest to them, except for the
kaingin slash-and-burn farming.

To please the native chieftains, his principal aides in administering the affairs of the barrio, Fray
Mendoza declared that they would retain their extensive land holdings and have them registered in the
names of the members of their families.

Fray Mendoza went further by providing that every man would also be given a piece of land
registered in his name, if he would cultivate it within a year. This land-for-the-landless policy later
applied to emancipated slaves.

The suggestions made by the cabezas were approved.

 Gat Salakab proposed that outsiders interested in owning land within the territorial jurisdiction of
San Pablo de los Montes should pay for it in terms of service to the church and the community, as
might be decided by the parish priest.
 Gat Sungayan also made a suggestion, that no foreigner (except the Spaniards) like Chinese or
the Bumbais (Indian) should not be allowed to own land in San Pablo. They might lease a piece
of land or work as a tenant farmer, but they should never allow to own even a small piece of land.

The Emancipation of Slaves

Fray Mendoza declared that all those who were still under debt peonage should be released to
enable them to work on their newly-acquired piece of land, and thus be able to pay for their indebtedness.
However, should they prefer to work in the creditor’s household or farm under some mutually agreed
upon conditions, they might do so.

The compliance of the landed aristocracy resulted in the emancipation of slaves. Slavery was
prevalent in 16th century in Asia, but the Philippines became the only Asian nation to abolish this
inhumane practice because of the Spanish missionaries.

Fund Raising for the Church

At first, the parish had hardly a thousand domiciled inhabitants, and the church tax was
insufficient for the support of the local parish. To augment the income of the church, the parish began to
sale indulgences, masses, holy water blessings, marriages, baptisms, and burial fees. Donations and alms
were also welcomed during mass, harvest, and other occasions.
Colonial church reform turned out to be a modernizing force. San Pablo evolved from an isolated
agricultural tribal community to a unit in a new political entity. The barrio was no longer an isolated
group of families in the mountains, but a part of a new colonial nation.

THE AUGUSTINIAN PARISH OF SAN PABLO DE LOS MONTES

Sampalok as an Augustinian Mission

Sampalok proved to be a microcosm of the difficulties of the mission work in the Philippines.
From 1571 to 1578, missionary work in this area got off to a very slow start. Linguistic ignorance, the
paucity of priest, and the greater attraction of China accounted for their lack of progress. It took seven
years before the Augustinians could establish themselves at all in Laguna. On April 30, 1578, Bae, then
the capital of Laguna, was organized as the Spanish colonial town in Laguna, with Fray Juan Gallegos,
OSA, as the first parish priest.
Sampalok was only a temporary visita of Bae. A visita meant that the priest visited occasionally,
but did not stay long. For the Spaniards at this time, Sampalok was mainly used for revitalizing rather
than as a commercial or religious outpost.
The precolonial “barangay” was renamed as “barrio,” to make it easier for the Spaniards to
pronounce. Sampalok was chosen as the cabecera (a central place) to conduct occasional consultations on
their mission work by the Tribunal of Ecclesiastical Visitors of Bae.

The Augustinians

The Augustinians were the vanguards of Christianity in the Philippines. Five Augustinians friars
came with Legazpi’s expedition in 1565, led by Fray Andres Urdaneta, the navigator, who also
discovered the return route to Mexico. From that date to 1898, a total of 2,368 Augustinians came to the
islands, founded 385 towns, and administered two million souls. The Philippine Augustinian organization
was called Provincia de SantisimoNombre de Jesus (Province of the Mostly Holy Name of Jesus), and its
members bore the initials OSA (Order of St. Augustine). It contributed 57 martyrs recognized as Catholic
saints for missions in the Philippines, China, Japan and other Asian countries.

The Contributions of the Spanish Missionaries

It is estimated that about 12,000 Spanish missionaries from the different orders labored in the
mission fields of these islands throughout the 333 years of Spanish rule.
The first wave of Spanish missionaries (from Mexico) in the 16 th century evidently did a
tremendously successful work in the Philippines. Historical writers, Catholic and Protestant, hail this first
wave of monks in the 16th century for their achievements, not only in religion, but also education,
economics, arts and sciences. Their achievements were “without parallel in history.”
In postmodern times, the colonial Spanish friars are held in disrepute, and the word “fraile”
evokes a negative meaning. Undoubtedly, the friars were responsible for many abuses, especially in the
latter part of the Spanish era. But they should also be credited with the attainment of certain results in the
civilization of the Filipino people, the credit for which is now denied them. With “cura” for a father-
figure, and the “captain” as his adjutant, the Philippine town had a barrier of protection between the
weaker and the stronger race, the vanquished and the victor.

San Pablo Becomes a Parish

In 1586, the Augustinians Provincial Fray Diego Alvarez, together with his council, officially
established San Pablo as a parish. A parish is an administrative district with a church and a priest in
residence. The Spanish parish priest was the resident cura and addressed as “Fray” (short for fraile).
 They chose the trading center of Sampalok for the site of their new mission. The Sampalok
mission was given the Christian name, “San Pablo de los Montes.” It was the custom of Spanish
missionaries to name a new parish according to the environment in which they would live. San Pablo
being an upland area, they foresaw the isolation and sacrifices to be required of the resident missionary.
Hence, they chose as their inspiration St. Paul, the first hermit saint. According to legend, St. Paul was
rich young man who fled to the desert in Thebes, Egypt, to escape persecution from the Roman Empire
around 250 AD. He consecrated his life in prayer and meditation and lived as a hermit in the mountains of
this desert in a cave near a clear spring and a palm tree, which gave him food and shelter. He would
remain there for the rest of his life. A monastery now stands in the site of his hermitage. The life of Paul
the Hermit was meant to inspire those destined to serve in the isolated mountain mission.
The first parish priest was Fray Mateo de Mendoza, an Augustinian monk. No doubt, Fray
Mendoza found similarities in his life with that of St. Paul.

The Fiesta Method of Conversion

Fray Mendoza had a bright idea how to attract the natives to move closer to the cabezera of
Sampalok where he wanted the church built. If he could not go to their homes to invite them, then he
would attract them to go to him!
The enticement was a medieval fair or “fiesta” (festival). Fray Mendoza was familiar with the
history of medieval Europe, where the medieval trading fairs in feudal estates became the nucleus for
towns and cities like Madrid, Paris, and London. At first, people lived in isolated feudal farms, far from
each other. But the medieval fairs came and attracted them to come to a central place.
After all, Sampalok was already the trading center of the upland realm. The markets and
merchants of this barangay attracted a daily flow of visitors to the economic center. Noticing that the
natives loved games, feasts, and religious rites, fray Mendoza realized that he could latch on to their
traditions. The gatherings, music, dances, and rituals during fiesta would give them the outlet for their
natural gregariousness, artistry, and religiosity. Holding frequent fiestas was a great way to attract the
natives to move closer to the center where a church could be built.
It was also during fiesta celebrations that Fray Mendoza commenced telling the story of Jesus. In
order not to bore the villagers with the foreign rites (the mass was said in Latin then), he depended on
sensory and visual experiences, in keeping with the fiesta spirit. The good cura made the chieftains’
children tell gospel story in pageants (Creation, Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, etc.).
Fray Mendoza made it priority to win the chieftains’ children to the new religion, in keeping with
the history of evangelization in South America. Once the children were captivated, they help in
converting their influential parents. Once the chiefs were won over, their baptism into the Roman
Catholic faith followed. The chiefs brought along their entire clan, servants, and slaves into the new faith.

The First Augustinian Church

As anticipated by Fray Mendoza, the pagans were gradually converted to Christianity.
Then, Fray Mendoza brought up the need for a new central place of worship. They had been using the
chief’s hut for their old pagan meetings. Then they had used Fray Mendoza’s front yard for the fiesta
shows and the Catholic meetings. They were asked to build a bigger hut for the regular meetings of their
new faith.
The building of the iglesia became a time for the bayanihan spirit to shine in the community.
“Bayanihan” is a native custom of helping a friend to move or to build a home. Using only primitive
tools, they gave voluntary service to their new religious leader. Fray Mateo de Mendoza did his part as he
chanted and prayed to inspire the workers, moving with a rosary on hand.
When finished, he installed metal belle that he rang now and then to summon the people to come
to his place. Soon, the people got used to the regularity of the bells pealing at daybreak, at sunset, and on
special occasions.
 The construction of the first wooden church in San Pablo de los Montes took two years (1590-
1591). By the time it stood, almost all of the inhabitants had been baptized. Instead of pagan anitos,
Christians images became the new central focus in the wooden church Fr. Mendoza placed three new
images on the altar – the statues of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and St. Paul the Hermit, who was the
new patron saint of the parish.

The three statues represented the new persons they were to pray to:
First of all, Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior and Redeemer of all humanity. Jesus was the reason
for the Christian religion, which was their new faith.
Secondly, the statue of the Virgin Mary had a favored nook near the altar. She was the mother of
Jesus. Augustinian missionaries were famous for spreading internationally the veneration of the Virgin
Mary.
Thirdly, at the other side of the altar was the image of St. Paul the Hermit. The natives had to
know about him, too, because he was the patron saint chosen by the Augustinians for this upland realm. It
was explained to the natives that they needed this saint as an inspiration for them.